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Reprinted courtesy of the BEAM, The Journal of the Irish Lighthouse Service

Mine Head Lighthouse, Co Waterford, was the first stop on our visit to Ireland. My husband, mother and I were inspired to make this journey after reading a journal written in 1940 by my maternal grandfather, John Thomas Kennedy. Included in this record were reminiscences about his childhood as the son, grandson, and great-grandson of Irish Lighthouse Keepers.

My great grandfather was Ambrose Kennedy, born in 1841, and Ambrose's father was John Kennedy. Ambrose Kennedy joined the Irish Lighthouse Service in about 1859, and Mine Head was one of the first lighthouses he served at before he was married. It was fascinating to imagine Ambrose serving here in the 1860's, when the countryside around here probably wasn't much different from how it is today.

Ambrose began in the Lighthouse Service as a Temporary Keeper for several months on Skelligs Rock. My grandfather's journal goes on:

"When my father went to Skelligs Rock Lighthouse, it was not the first time as he was there with his father when he was a boy. During my grandfather's service on the Skelligs Rock, it was visited by royalty. On the rock there was the ruins of a very ancient Abbey and Monastery.

The Prince Consort at the time was head of the Antiquarians. They were going around visiting all the old interesting ruins, and during the fine weather, they paid a visit to the Skelligs. The Prince Consort was with the party and he had a boy with him, one of his sons, who was afterwards destined to be the Duke of Edinburg. When my grandfather, being Principle Keeper, showed the party around the ruins, my father, seeing another boy of his own age, called him over and showed him around the rock, the two on their own together. And when he went away gave him a young, wild rabbit to take with him. In fact, the party was looking for the youngsters when they got back to the lighthouse. My father often used to say, when he was a youngster he played with royalty."

After Mine Head, Ambrose Kennedy served on a number of Irish lighthouses, including Inishtearaght, where he was promoted to Principle Keeper, and was the first one to light the lighthouse up there.

While serving at Spit Bank, Cobh, then known as Queenstown, he met his wife, Mary Ann Harris, my great-grandmother. My grandfather, John Thomas Kennedy, was born in 1877, at St. John's Point, Co. Down. From there Ambrose transferred to Carlingford Bar, now named Haulbowline, and the family lived ashore on Cranfield Point.

When John Thomas was about four years old, they moved to Ballycotton Island. His journal reads, "During our three year stay, on this island my mother and sisters stayed in Queenstown with my mother's people during the winter, and came on the island during the summers. I must say my brother and I enjoyed ourselves there, especially as one of the Assistant Keepers had four sons. The population of the island-three Lighthouse Keepers, six boys and the addition during the summer of my mother and three sisters. The other Keeper was a widower, and the third Keeper's family lived ashore in Ballycotton Village, and came occasionally during fine weather."

My husband, mother and I arrived in Ballycotton just as the wind was getting up for the beginning of a storm. It made us appreciate the weather the Lightkeepers had to contend with, even though the island itself was enchanting.

We then made our way to Roches Point Lighthouse. This was Ambrose's next move, when my grandfather was seven years old. They were at Roches Point for five years. The journal reads:

"I will endeavor to describe this station. There were two Lightkeepers and a Fog Signal Man. As all the Point was walled in for the Keeper's use, we had plenty of ground for gardens, etc. Outside the lighthouse premises, there was a Coast Guard station comprising of ten families: Chief Officer, Chief Boatman and eight Boatmen. Separate from them was a small Post and telegraph office, with Postmaster's and family's residence and two or three pilot's and boatmen's houses, also a very small church, and three watch towers (two for the pilots and one for the Coast Guard). One of the pilot's towers was taken over later for a Lloyd's Signal Station. The children had to walk to Whitegate, which was three Irish miles away, to go to school. Also, all the shopping had to be done there."

The Attendant at Roches Point, Jim Powers, (the former Assistant Keeper) very kindly showed us around. The lighthouse had been automated about six months previously, but the old procedures were explained to us. It was a great thrill to be able to go up in the lantern and look out to sea as my great-grandfather had done. It was fascinating to see the whole community, like a miniature village, and imagine our family living there.

My grandfather's journal goes on:

"After five years, my father got his orders to go back to the north, to Larne Lough Lighthouse in County Antrim, where he was for eleven years. When we were in Larne, we used to cross the harbour every day by boat to go to school and to go shopping. As Larne is a good business town and also the mail route to Scotland, and within easy distance to Belfast, we all had a good time there. It was the place where we finished our schooling and started out from. My. father finished his lighthouse service in Larne Lough Lighthouse, since renamed Ferris Point."

I believe my grandfather enjoyed his childhood as a Keeper's son. He very much wanted to join the Irish Lighthouse Service as a Keeper himself, but was unable to pass the medical, something which I think he regretted for the rest of his life.

I am sure he would have approved of, and been pleased about, our visit to some of the places he loved.

This story appeared in the March 1999 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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